Sadly, I haven’t been able to find any relevant stories about Titantuin or The Hooded One (their lack of stories and known Chosen make it difficult to glean too much information about the gods themselves), but I think I’ve gathered enough evidence to support my theory on why the human gods have more established Greater Domains.
Apheros, Ignitious, Adamanrion, and even Torbolt all have stories depicting their flaws, and how interacting with mortals on a more personal level caused them to grow in power. This is something you’ll never see depicted in Zephoreas’, Hydraviandor’s, Titantuin’s, or even The Hooded One’s dogma. Afterall, gods are all powerful, omnipotent, and omnipresent, right?
Well, humans certainly don’t think so, case in point, this next tale of how Torbolt discovered he was only the second most powerful god.
Torbolt was mad. He was furious. He swished his tail in anger at the Nature god for this insult. He bellowed loudly, snorting through his nostrils, and blowing away his shaggy fur. His eyes glowed pink with Lightning as he stomped his hooves into the ground, packing the soft soil into hardened earth as he was forced to witness that coward explain himself.
Apheros slumped his shoulders, the antlers on his back drooping along with them, and he turned to the inquisitive god of Fire, “I’m… not sure what happened… this isn’t at all what I planned…”
Ignitious cocked his head at the bark-covered god, “You had a plan?” Then shook their head, “Start from the beginning, you’re clearly too emotional to think clearly.”
“Well, I just got finished teaching some mortals how to turn their water-soaked ground into arable farmland and was heading south, following the river, when I noticed that the terrain sharply changed after the three rivers united. Instead of the tree and rock-filled hillsides riddled with rivers, creeks, and lakes, I found this area with its gently rolling plains, seas of green grass, and a thick layer of topsoil.”
The Fire god dressed in molded black leather nodded along, occasionally giving glances to Torbolt as he thrashed about in anger, “I take it you found these bison here feeding on the grass?”
“Yes, and mortals. Well… not on the grass, but…” Apheros caught sight of Ignitious glaring at him, “Right, back to my story… I noticed how healthy everything was, and how few monsters there were, so I got curious, and that’s when I saw him…”
Apheros smiled like a lovestruck teenager, “The glimmer of the lightning off his oiled biceps, the clouds releasing their atmospheric gasses-infused rain every time he kicked off from one cloud to the other, the way he fertilized the soil with the corpses of monsters—"
Ignitious cleared their throat, interrupting Apheros’ infatuated rambling, “Aren’t you married?”
“What? No, I’m only engaged.” Apheros stammered guiltily, “Plus, it’s an open relationship, we’re not exclusive just yet. And we haven’t even set a date, so I’ve still got plenty of time to fool around first.”
The Creator of Light bored their eyes into the Nature god, no doubt wondering just how this lust-filled idiot managed to become the most powerful of the gods (Author’s Note: This statement is highly contested by Zephoreas’ church, and it’s possible that it’s only an embellishment added by Torbolt out of respect.). Ignitious could only sigh, causing their feathered pauldrons to sag, “Continue your story.”
“So, I tried to get his attention. First I bred a unique flower that would bloom after every thunderstorm, but he merely nodded, saying that he approved of the land itself being able to tell of his exploits. That got me the idea to carve pictures into the land, having the mortals help me out by making their cattle walk over the same path multiple times, but he merely thanked me, saying that it was much easier for him to navigate the nearly endless sea of grass easier now. Then before this happened,” he gestured to the adorable looking baby calf that was having a temper tantrum, “I was trying to implement a plan a female mortal suggested by preparing a feast for him, but before I could begin gathering herbs to season the meat, he leapt out of a nearby cloud, screaming like a madman, and making me cower behind my shield with my spear raised.”
Apheros started to grow distressed from the memory, “Next thing I knew, I was covered in blood, and my spear was thrust straight through his heart, and I panicked. I tried to heal him, but he had lost too much blood, and was fading fast, and I tried to think of something, but my Domain of Harvest was useless and my Domain of Wood could only slow his death…” Apheros turned towards Torbolt, who was still furious, but had grown hungry and was suckling on the bison that gave birth to him, “That’s when I thought, ‘Why don’t I just make him a new body?’ So, I took his umm… ‘essence’, and planted it into this bison, and then…”
Torbolt stopped his feeding to huff at the Fertility god. The coward had left out the part where Apheros had showed up hollering, “Hey there, you sexy towering storm cloud! Why don’t you come join me in my tent with that juicy ass of yours, and I’ll teach you a few moves from the most powerful of the gods? I guarantee you’ll find it way more satisfying that killing a bunch of brain-dead monsters.”
He was still furious at the Nature god’s words, falsely claiming that there was something more gratifying than the heat of battle. As if there was such a thing! Then instead of backing his words in combat, the antlered coward somehow kept dodging each of his lightning strikes, finding only the charred remains of logs in the smoldering craters, before they eventually vanished into thin air.
Apheros finished his “scientific” explanation to Ignitious, “You can help him, right?”
“I think Adamanrion would be better suited for this task, combating your insanity with my Domain of Science is an impossible task.”
“Oh… rot, they’re probably not going to want to help…”
Ignitious shook their head, “No, I highly doubt they would.”
Torbolt grew immensely furious, demanding that the two gods fix him, stomping his hooves down and snorting loud enough to summon thunder.
Apheros looked up at the incoming storm, quickly growing terrified, “You know what? I think he’ll be fine, maybe just give him a few weeks, I’m sure he’ll get better.” The Nature god started to back up towards the nearby river, “I’m going to head south for a while, let me know if you need me.” He then turned around and began sprinting towards the north.
Ignitious sighed, then looked down at the baby bison that was Torbolt, “About time you suffered some consequences for your bullheadedness. Getting herded around by mortals will do you some good. Maybe you’ll even learn to stop trouncing around and breaking everyone’s things.”
---
Arc
The massive library on campus was filled to the brim with students, forcing my 360-degree mana sight to contract to the tightest it had been since I first came to this world. Granted, I didn’t have even close to the same amount of detail I do now, with how much more solid everything looked. Even the walls and furniture were saturated with mana, looking more like colored glass instead of the vague wisp of an idea they were back in Travis’ village.
I moved my focus around, checking out the different tables of students while Travis and his friends were busy with their usual routine. There was one being led by a senior student from the neighboring science academy, helping tutor them through the general math course, and answering math-related questions that arose from the general mana studies. Another was a school club dedicated to reading and creating comics about heroic Mages and Knights from history. And a conveniently placed group of second semester first-year students, were taking an extra-curricular course on learning dwarvish, helping out my “patch” slowly work on constructing a codex for the language.
My 360-degree vision caught Travis shifting nervously in his seat, constantly looking up from his schoolwork every time someone walked by, and was having a difficult time focusing. Worried, I brought in my focus, hoping that it would help me discern why. After all, he had plenty of things to be stressed out over.
First, there was the looming storm cloud of finals fast approaching, Travis only had three weeks left of classroom instruction, and given the way his schedule was structured, they were going to fly by fast. Then there was the aftermath of him getting attacked in the spell range. He’s claimed that he’s fine, but I can’t help but worry. I know those mutated elves left a mark on him, and he’s had at least one nightmare involving them. Oh, and he got spooked just this afternoon when the Quartermaster appeared, acting like an angry housewife who just caught her husband in the act of cheating on her.
Travis’ hands began to twitch, and they eventually found their way into his pouch containing his gift for Seleyna.
Right… I somehow forgot Travis was a teenager at this fantasy military academy for mages. Why worry about the next monster attack or revenge from the Quartermaster when you got a birthday gift to give to a cute girl?
A pair of dwarves did at least manage to cheer him up upon their approach.
“Travis, apologies, but Thramreat here,” they gestured to the beardless Lightning Mage beside them, “caught me sneaking out of the burrow, and insisted on tagging along.”
Travis grinned at the newcomer, “I’ll let you see my poleaxe after Durinn is done practicing.” He then turned his head to Durinn, “Before that though, I was umm… wondering if…” Travis shifted uncomfortably, “you see, there’s this girl… and—"
Durinn held up a hand, “Travis, I know 84 years old is a long time for a human, but I haven’t even been in the human kingdom for a full calendar cycle (12 years). I know absolutely nothing about how human women work when it comes time to mate.”
Travis’ eyes nearly popped out of his skull, and he immediately began to stammer, “What? No… no no, it’s not like that! I… uh, was making a gift and—"
Thramreat interrupted the teenager this time, “Travis, don’t ever ask for gift-giving advice from a bearded.” They pulled Travis aside, then tugged on his arming jacket to bring his head lower so the beardless could whisper, “Now, when you’re trying to coax a bearded into digging out a nest, the most important rule is to not overwhelm them.”
Travis, now looking mortified, went comatose as the beardless started to give the dwarven version of the birds and the bees. Much to the delight of Durinn and his friends at the table.
“Now, I know it might sound redundant for me to tell you not to give a potted plant to a bearded who hasn’t even started to feel the urge to dig a nest, but you’d be surprised at how many beardless make such a simple mistake.” Thramreat shook their head in disappointment, “The last thing a bearded wants is an unwanted burden. A smarter gift would be to give them fresh-cut flowers to improve the air quality of their workshop, they’re quick and easy to dispose of, and can even induce a little agoraphobia to kickstart their next cycle.”
“Thramreat!” Durinn shouted, looking appalled, “Show some modesty.” They shook their head and began to mutter, “And beardless wonder why it took so long to be allowed into the Artificer’s Guild.”
Thramreat shrugged off the admonishment, then focused back on the strung-out looking Travis, “Even something like that might be a bit much for a first gift if they’ve only started to reinforce the nest’s walls, your best bet is to start small. Offer to help tidy their shop, bring over some supplies that they keep running short of, or even something mundane like grabbing their lunch for them so they can keep working.”
Durinn narrowed their eyes at the beardless, making me wonder if they were questioning some of Thramreat’s behavior, but if they were about to voice a concern, they missed their chance.
Travis had finally regrown his spine enough to stop the lecture, “Wait, I’m… thankful for the advice, but I just wanted to ask a question about making artifice jewelry.”
He reached into his pouch to pull out the gift we crafted together. And by “we”, I mean Travis carved the piece of aelderwood into a pendant, burned the symbol of the three kingdoms onto one side, went to the commissary to get a spool of wood fiber string, and then knotted it into a necklace. I helped by stuffing it full of Wood Mana afterwards.
The two dwarves moved in to give the handmade necklace a look, then gave approving nods, although Durinn looked a bit peeved, “Travis, where are you getting all of this aelderwood from?”
“My village had an Aelder Tree inside it, and my poleaxe’s shaft was made from a branch that once fell.” He bobbed the necklace up and down, “This was made using a tiny piece of scrap that I had on hand.”
Thramreat scratched their bare chin, “Can’t say I’ve ever seen someone use wood for artifice jewelry before…”
Durinn grunted, “I have, but only as a proof of concept. Ironwood is only a low-tier material for enchantments and inscriptions. For jewelry, and higher tier enchantments, you’ll usually see elmek horn or bushtail antlers used for Wood foundation artifice.”
Travis darted his eyes between the two dwarves, “Will this not work then?”
Thramreat gave Travis a pat on his thigh, “Oh, don’t worry, any Artificer would jump at the chance to inscribe this.”
---
Travis
Snowsday, the 32nd of Seventhmonth
I finished shaving, wiping the hot towel over my chin and neck, then scowled as I noticed I cut myself in a half dozen places. Letting out a groan, I slathered some ointment over the cuts, and amped up my internal mana around the afflicted areas. While that was healing up, I put on the deodorizing cologne Bridget gave me and the lower half of the formal outfit Jethro assembled for me.
“Ah, the struggles of having a defined jaw line…”
I grumbled, “I’d prefer to not need to shave…”
“But then you have to oil and comb your beard daily, give it trims at least once a week, and then have to listen to your girlfriend complain incessantly about how it irritates her face, and how you look like a hobo, or that it’s disgusting when you eat, or…” Arc faded out, “Sorry, almost started rambling there.”
I sighed as I wiped away the dried blood from my chin, checked to make sure all the cuts were fully healed, and started putting on the rest of my clothes.
“Something bothering you?”
“Yes, but I need to get moving. I’m sure Hector and Barry are waiting for me.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“Don’t forget your food and gift!”
Grabbing said items from my room, I mentally checked if there was something else I was forgetting, then waved goodbye to Arc before leaving.
As predicted, Hector and Barry were waiting for me, but didn’t seem too annoyed, and after a quick greeting, we immediately got moving. Once I was settled inside with Hector, I unwrapped the bundle of carryout so I could eat my supper before my stomach threatened to murder me.
Hector grinned as I inhaled the sandwich Varguk made for me (a chicken, bacon, and mutton sandwich, with veggies and honey mustard sauce), guzzled down the carton of aloe and pear juice, then noticed me pulling out a wrapped bar with attached note from the bottom of my takeout box.
Travis,
Couldn’t prepare you a proper mana-rich meal today despite the heads up, so apologies. I was able to throw in a Mana Rich Edible that I got to help create though, so I hope you enjoy!
Varguk
Smiling, I unwrapped the MRE and took a bite of the colorful bar. The flavor… hmm… it was a crazy medley of honey glazed steak and caramel bacon that was battered and deep-fried, maybe… but also had a blend of fruits? The texture was definitely the strangest part though, reminding me of the time I was offered a chunk of honeycomb to chew on with how waxy it was. Overall though, I highly approved, and I ended up only pausing briefly to check out the dozens of colorful layers that composed the bar, before greedily eating the rest of it.
Hearing a gasp, I looked up to see a horrified face on Hector, making me worry, “What’s wrong?”
He narrowed his eyes at me, “You looked happy to eat that…”
I shrugged my shoulders as I wiped down my face with my napkin and made sure there were no crumbs on my outfit, “I mean, it’s a little wild on flavors, but it was pretty good.”
The bearded Packer kept analyzing me, then muttered, “Walking set of contradictions…”
---
“Twavy!” A little girl covered in tiny pink flowers raced up to me as I approached one of the tables at the reception, and immediately wrapped her arms around my leg.
I gave her blonde head a pat, “Look at you, you’ve gotten taller!”
Lancel’s niece looked up with a big smile, and I soon heard her mom approach, “Silia, didn’t you have a present for Travis?”
Silia let go and raced off towards where she was coloring with the other children, letting me take notice of her mother’s now slimmer figure, “Where’s the new guy?”
“Grandpa insists on carrying him everywhere,” Tristan’s wife shook her head in annoyance, “claims it will help him grow a bigger mana supply, or some nonsense.” She let out a sigh as Silia started making her way back with a sheet of paper, “Personally, I think he’s going stir crazy from being cooped up in the house now that he’s retired, almost makes me wish he did take that offered General position.”
Silia ran back up with a sheet of paper, holding it up for me to see her iconic drawing of a long-tailed rabbit with bird wings. It even had a new addition.
“Oh wow! This one has antlers!” I smiled at her drawing, then carefully folded it up so I could stuff it in one of the hidden pockets Jethro stitched into my coat. “I’ll be sure to hang it up in my room with the others.”
“Sweetie,” Silia’s mom requested, “why don’t we let Travis say hello to everyone, then maybe you can have fun playing a game together later tonight?”
She nodded her head, then rushed back to the kid’s table, leaving her exhausted mom to sigh before following behind.
I chuckled at the sight, then approached the head table inside the venue’s main hall. Pink stormblossoms decorated practically every bare surface, shrines depicting The Hooded One, Apheros, and Torbolt were against each of the walls, and the smell of savory barbecue still remained in the air. A group of drummers were providing music as some of the guests got into lines for dancing, waitstaff were frantically rushing about with drinks, and I think I even spotted a bull walking around.
Lancel greeted me first, sporting his family’s signature grin, then leaned in to give me a shield-brother hug, “Been too long.” He gave my back a pat, pulled away to give me a better look, and then gave my arms a squeeze, “You’re going to make an orc jealous if you keep growing.”
I smiled, noticing that Lancel’s shoulders were looking wider than I remembered, “I could say the same about you. You’re starting to look more like Gramps now.”
Lancel’s grin switched to a self-conscious one as his brothers began to snicker behind him, “Yeah, I… uh, may have had a wardrobe issue this morning…”
Tristan clapped Lancel on the shoulder, “What this idiot meant to say, was that he was in tears panicking this morning because none of his clothes fit.”
I nervously laughed, “Yeah, what kind of idiot forgets to get their uniform retailored…”
Tristan narrowed his eyes at me, making me sweat raindrops, but luckily the newly wed Percy and Lucia stepped forward to greet me.
“Travis,” Lucia greeted, looking stunning in her white robe embroidered with gold and emerald-green flowers, reached in to give me a regular hug, “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“I am too, I only wish I could have made it to the wedding as well.”
Percy took his turn, pulling me in for a shield-brother hug, “It’s alright, you didn’t miss much.” He chuckled as he gave my back a firm pat, then broke the hug so I could get a better look at his gold-colored robe with emerald-green grass patterns stitched into them, reminding me oddly of Reidar’s Spartan uniform.
I reached into my jacket, then pulled out the two’s gift, “I’ve never been to a Packer wedding before, so I don’t know if there’s a presentation of gifts or…”
Lucia smiled, then took the envelope, “Weddings in the Southern Plains usually just have the guests leave the gifts on a table when entering the venue, and then the newlyweds open them the next day, but I think we can make an exception if you want…”
I nodded, giving them the go ahead, and let out a tiny sigh of relief at their happy expressions upon seeing the tickets.
“Mom and dad are going to be so jealous.” Percy squeezed his new wife, then thanked me for the gift, allowing me to join the table with the rest of the Hopkins, including Caldia…
Caldia gave me a tiny wave, then gestured for me to take a seat between her and Lancel, “Come sit, I had the caterers save you a couple plates of food.”
I sat down, noticing Hector whisper something to Lancel and his brothers, who all then suddenly twisted their heads towards me with a shocked expression, triggering that anxious worry once more.
“Umm, what’s wrong guys?”
Tristan looked over at his father holding his newest child, then leaned into whisper to me, “Nothing important, just uh… are you absolutely sure you’re not secretly our half-brother?”
What the…? I stared blankly at them before Caldia nudged my shoulder, “Ignore those drunk idiots.” She slid over a plate of mouthwatering barbecue, “You’re probably starving right?”
I grinned, thinking about how not even Franklin could beat me in an eating contest back in my village after I turned fifteen, “Always.”
She gave me the Hopkins’ signature grin as I dug into the still hot food, then took out her sketchbook, “I’ll give you the highlights from the wedding.”
“Oh nice. Was there anything big that I missed?”
The table all started laughing, making me and Hector share curious glances, but before I could ask why, Caldia began to narrate her drawings.
“Well, it started off just like any other Southern Plains wedding. The families gathered at The Hooded One’s church for the exchanging of vows, preparations for the ceremony were getting finalized…, and then Gaward showed up.”
Caldia flipped the page to show a charcoal drawing of a bare-chested Darius, holding an infant in one arm and a furious Matriarch Rabiria in the other, while Percy and his twin brother greeted each other.
“Mom, of course, wasn’t too happy, but she calmed down after Percy and Gaward came back from their private chat and told her he was only there to attend the wedding.”
I looked up to see Matriarch Rabiria frowning at Percy, “I still wish you would have warned me ahead of time.”
Percy grinned, “And give you the chance to bar him entry?”
Rabiria rolled her eyes, giving me an opening to ask a question, “Umm, why is Gramps shirtless?”
That cleared the tension at the table, and I noticed Caldia’s cheeks gain a more reddish hue, “Well, I didn’t have time to capture everyone, so I cheated and drew dad later, using one of the statues here as a reference.”
Rabiria leaned in to give her husband a kiss on the cheek, “That reminds me, now that you’re at home permanently, I should take up sculpting again.”
Darius leaned in, his powerful physique making the baby in his arms look more like the size of a kitten, and returned the kiss with one of his own, “I don’t know, didn’t I have to pose over two dozen times for you to finish a single statue when we first met?”
Rabiria gazed deeply into Darius’ eyes, “I seem to remember a certain someone kept distracting me.”
“Hey,” Caldia shouted, “no worshiping Apheros at the dinner table.”
Darius grinned, “Well, I guess that’s our cue to leave then.” He got up, then walked around towards me, “Here, you haven’t had a chance to hold Boris yet.”
I took the baby in my arms, catching the Hopkins women all give me dirty looks, then watched Gramps escort Rabiria to the dance floor. Looking down at the little bundle of joy in my arms as he in turn looked up at me with his almost glowing golden eyes, I couldn’t help but smile, “He’s so tan.”
Lancel chuckled beside me, “That’s right, you’ve never seen a Packer baby before.”
Giving the little guy a tickle with my free hand before reaching back to my plate of barbeque, I turned to Caldia, “Ok, so what uneventful thing happened next?”
“Well,” she turned the page, showing a hooded figure standing before Percy and Lucia, “the ceremony went by like normal, but before the burning of Percy’s pedigree and exchanging of vows could begin, the officiate asked if there were any objections to this union, and…” she flipped a page, showing a woman holding a raised sword inside the entrance of the sanctuary, “that’s when Percy’s ex decided to show up, demanding a chance to duel for Percy’s hand.”
Hector began to grin madly, “Does that mean…”
“Yes,” Tristan groaned, “the one time Percy didn’t get challenged to a duel at a public event, was at his own wedding.”
“Hey, there’s still a chance.” Lancel objected, “We’ve got… four hours before the carriages arrive.”
Marcia, giving her husband’s beard a loving stroke, “Sorry guys, but everyone is too afraid of angering Lucia now. Hector gets to keep his beard.” She then leaned in to give his lips a kiss.
Confused, and now out of barbecue, I cleaned my face, then turned my head to Lucia, “Umm, I thought you managed warehouse supplies for the Logistics Corps.”
Lucia’s eyes lit up, “Oh, I guess I never told you, I originally was assigned to frontline supply delivery.” She chuckled, “You can learn a lot from a bunch of Spartan recruits who couldn’t make the cut.”
Percy smiled, “It’s how we met actually.” He turned to his wife, “Did you want to tell, or should I?”
“I’ll start.” Lucia cleared her throat, giving everyone who must have heard this story twelve dozen times a chance to tune the two out, “So, I was delivering yet another load of artillery ammunition to Crownwork #167. For some reason only Torbolt knows, that section of the wall was under constant assault by behemoths.”
Percy picked up the story, “It was so loud, and the Wind Mages stationed there had to dedicate all of their time preventing the Artillerists from going deaf, so the rest of us soldiers were unable to get any sleep.”
“That’s when I found him.” Lucia continued, “He was huddled up in the stairwell, sobbing uncontrollably, begging Torbolt for the chance to sleep.”
Percy gave his wife a squeeze, “Then this beautiful sight lured me into a bed, despite my delirious state, whispering how she was about to give me the best night of my life… then stabbed me in the chest with a tranquilizer bolt.” The two laughed, generating eyerolls from everyone else at the table, “It was love at first sight.”
---
The rest of the night flew by fast, and I was barely able to catch up with everyone, though I did get a chance to have a private conversation with Caldia once I handed Tristan’s son back to Gramps.
“I’ve been enjoying your weekly letters.” Caldia began once we found an empty side hall, “To be honest, I’m surprised you even have the time to write them.”
I nodded along, “Sorry if they sound more like journal entries, sometimes I end up writing them sporadically throughout the week.”
“I don’t mind.” She dropped her grin, then reached to grasp my hand, “Since we’re face to face now, I want to apologize once more, I shouldn’t have acted like a child at your party.”
Taking her hand, I looked into her sunset-colored eyes, “I’m sorry too, I wish—"
A drunken Lancel barged into the hallway, throwing his arm around me, and interrupting our private moment.
“Travis! There you are, you little bastard, how’s school going?”
Groaning at the disturbance but knowing that prying him off me was going to be difficult, I shrugged my shoulders, “Umm, it’s stressful sometimes, especially when having to adjust to being a noble now.” I started to chuckle, “Did you know it’s the princess’ birthday in two days?”
Lancel let out a goliath-sized groan, “Ugh, it was so much easier to send a card to the princess when I hadn’t met her… and now that’s she’s turning eighteen, I have to turn the storming thing into a dating profile…”
Caldia laughed at Lancel’s apparent torture, giving the drunken idiot a pat on the shoulder, “You know, there’s a solution to that problem…”
Lancel moaned once more, “No… not you too! All night it’s been, ‘Where’s your date for this evening? Have you met my son so-and-so?’ oh, and for some reason everyone keeps asking me why I didn’t propose to hunter.”
Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to explain the joke to anyone before having to return to campus, but at least Caldia agreed to my offer of spending a free afternoon together if I got the chance between finals and my Fall Expedition.
---
Voltsday, the 2nd of Eighthmonth
I finished buttoning my formal arming jacket, hooked Arc to my belt, then grabbed the tied together box containing Seleyna’s birthday gift. My nerves refused to remain calm as I approached her dormitory, then spiked upon seeing the line of students outside, all holding gifts as well.
“Will you be giving a gift, or just a card?”
Startled, I nearly jumped out of my boots as the Commando popped out of nowhere, forcing me to take a few calming breaths before replying, “I… uh, brought a gift.”
They took my tiny package, opened it carefully, then took out the contents and gave everything a thorough inspection before handing it back, only sporting a much nicer looking bow in the ribbon.
“You’re clear. Go ahead and stand in line, and don’t fret, it’s been moving quickly.”
Gulping, I walked to the end of the line where a familiar looking inner-ring Northman noble wearing a wolfish grin was standing, “Travis, I almost didn’t recognize you without that poleaxe.”
Praying to Apheros that Arc could talk, I gave his cross guard a scratch, “Miller Bowitch, he’s fifth in line to become the head of his clan.”
Feeling some of my tension drain, I welcomed in the needed distraction, “Yes, I decided that I was already in enough trouble as it is and left it in the armory tonight.”
He barked out a short bout of laughs, then gave my shoulder a nudge, “Don’t get me wrong, we’ll be teasing you until we’re all in the grave, and maybe even after, but it’s far from the worst thing you could do. Plus, you’re a first-generation noble, you’re allowed some wiggle room.”
I let out a sigh, feeling even more stress wash away, then suddenly turned my head in curiosity, “Hang on, you must have gone to Seleyna’s party, why are you here now?”
His wolfish smile returned, “These didn’t come in till yesterday.” He opened up the gift he was carrying, displaying the dozens of finely crafted arrows for me to see, “I’ll admit it’s a lazy gift on my part, given that my family has been crafting these before the kingdom was even founded. But I figured with the princess’ fondness for archery, plus the fact she’s a Fire Mage, that these would be quite suitable.”
“Damn… these are really nice. Check out the Wood Mana.”
Closing my eyes to activate my mana sight, I was able to get a good look at the embedded Wood Mana inside each arrow as Miller went into detail.
“Ironwood for the shaft and tips, then lotusduck feathers for the fletching. There are fancier options, but since no one has discovered a mid-grade option between iron bark and aelderwood, higher grade arrows require you to enchant each end separately.” He shrugged his shoulders, then closed the box, “I wanted to at least give her something she could use next month when she goes on her Fall Expedition, instead of letting them sit on a shelf and slowly rot away all their mana by this time next year.”
A voice called out, signaling that it was Miller’s turn to present his gift. He gave me one more wolfish grin before walking forward, leaving me clutching my pauper’s gift to the princess in my hands as my nervousness returned.
“Is it too late to run, or mail it to Seleyna instead?” I whispered to Arc.
“If I told you no, would you actually start sprinting?”
“Umm… no.”
“Ok, let’s assume she’s mad at you for not coming to her party and hates your apology/gift. Worst case scenario, she acts in a polite royal manner, sends you on your way before she tosses your gift into the trash, then leaves you having to eat supper with Bridget tomorrow. Would that really be the end of the world for you?”
I let out a deep lungful of air, “No, I guess not…”
“Good, now hurry up and grow some thicker bark, you’re up.”
A voice called out, letting me know it was now my turn.
Taking one last deep breath, I marched forward, averting my eyes away from Asher as he stood guard at the entrance to the gazebo the princess was accepting gifts under, and cautiously climbed the steps.
Princess Seleyna stood there regally bathed in the light emanating from a half dozen tiny [Fire Orbs], her usual braided blonde hair was let loose, allowing the curls to flow down her formal arming jacket, and her captivating blue-gray eyes glimmered in the firelight.
Don’t forget to bow. Don’t forget to bow.
Jarred awake from my daydreaming state, I hastily knelt, then took a few panicked breaths before speaking the lines Bridget coached me to say, “Princess Seleyna, as an apology for being unable to attend your party, and in honor of your birthday this evening, I humbly ask that you accept this gift.”
“How thoughtful, please rise, so you may present your gift.”
It felt like a cow was resting on my shoulders as I stood, and my heart was pumping so forcefully that my fingers throbbed in pain as my gift was plucked from my grasp.
She gave the necklace an inquisitive look, not speaking a word, and causing my stomach to twist into a tight knot.
“Is this aelderwood?”
“It is,” I answered, overjoyed at the conversation starter, “I wasn’t able to get it inscribed, but if you want, I can do that in the future, or… you can have someone else do it. Umm…, it’s your necklace, so… whatever you want…”
Seleyna looked up with a big smile, making my throat close up, “I like it.” She then pulled me in to give my cheek a kiss, making all the blood in my body drain out, “I’ll see you tomorrow for supper?”
Feeling lightheaded, I could only nod, then leave out the back of the gazebo, nearly tripping on the steps down. A Commando at the bottom gave me a big smile, then gave me a gentle push in the correct direction back towards my dormitory.
“Great job bud!”
I let out a sigh, “I’m just glad that’s over with. I’m not cut out for all this nobility nonsense.”
“I think you’re doing great, considering that you’ve been diving in blind, you just need more exposure. You’ve already accumulated some notable accomplishments to build your status, are likely the kingdom’s newest most-eligible bachelor, and from what I’ve gathered, are easy on the eyes. Plus, after that romantic gift, there’s no way—”
I stopped dead in my tracks, “Wait, what do you mean romantic?”
“Umm, isn’t that what you were going for?”
“What? No, I just wanted to apologize for insulting her, and make sure she wasn’t angry at me. Making that necklace was the only thing I could think of for a gift.”
“Oh… uh, hate to tell you this… but, you may have over-corrected.”